Lunar Haven The Movie: Island of the Record Keepers
by Nobuyumi
Summary: On a mysterious island south of Thavnair the Free Company of Lunar Haven will come across old friends and foes alike as they struggle to uncover the mysteries of the strange tropical island. Little do they know the island contains secrets that will threaten not only the members of the Free Company but all of Hydaelyn!
1. Chapter 1: Found and Lost

Hydaelyn. A mysterious world few have ever visited, occupied by millions. This beautiful planet is a mystical place in which gods and man interact. An unseen web of life force known as aether quietly moves before the planet's surface, influencing all of creation. The existence of this aether gives rise to many things, from catastrophic earthquakes and floods known as "Calamities" to simpler things such as allowing one to heal an injured friend or cast an orb of fire from a mystic staff. The use of aether has given rise to many nations, each with its own magics, and heroes. However, some heroes, destined to save all of Hydaelyn, have been called "Warriors of Light". This is a tale of one such group.

In the far Eastern regions of Hydaelyn rests a long island chain nation known as Hingashi. Within the city state is the flourishing port city of Kugane. A beautiful city with large ships, bathhouses, trade ports, and wooden towers reaching far into the sky. A place in which ninja freely jump from rooftop to rooftop in the middle of the night, while during the day merchants and samurai alike roam the city streets in order to carve out a humble life for themselves and those they hold dear. On the other side of Hydaelyn, far from this bustling trade city, rests Eorzea. An alliance of various city states who with the help of brave heroes known simply as "adventurers" and their collective groups called "Free Companies" have time and time again been forced to fight beastial summons known as Primals who threaten to destroy not simply Eorzea nor Hingashi, but all of Hydaelyn itself! Recently, in fact, the adventurers had defeated a massive dragon like primal called Shinryu, as well as a mechanical superweapon from a distant star known only as Omega. Now, in both Eorzea and Hingashi, adventurers have started rebuilding the lives they once had before various wars against the ruthless Garlean Empire, a nation so powerful they swore to conquer all of Hydaelyn, had torn the realms asunder.

Unfortunately, while things had settled down in Eorzea, in other parts of the world far more sinister machinations had begun. On a small island south of the merchant nation of Thavnair, in a downpour so strong it threatened to carve the tiny island in twain, a single adventurer moved along a jagged cliff. Far below him stretched an ancient forest, and above him a small plateau in what was a great mountain chain. Dressed in the traditional green and red robes of a Summoner, the man used a green and gold book with a beautiful gem protruding from the top, in order to provide his face with what little protection he could from the rain. The adventurer's name was Nobutaka Fairclough, leader of the Free Company known as Lunar Haven. His long, gray hair had been pulled back into a small ponytail. His young face and relatively average physique seemed ill suited for the rigorous demands of the mountain. Yet something drove the blue eyed adventurer forward. Like a man possessed he still moved forward, despite tripping and sliding back down the uneven terrain or cutting himself on the rocky edges of the trail. By his side a small, blue, glowing rabbit like creature known as a carbuncle accompanied him. Contrary to its innocent looks, it was a powerful summon made of aether derived from Nobutaka's own soul. 

As thunder cracked and lightning illuminated the path before him Nobutaka gritted his teeth. "Great, this storm isn't letting up any time soon." He lamented, scanning the horizon only to see nothing but black clouds in the distance. His normally well kept summoner robes had already been frayed and tattered by the storm, thus allowing the majority of the cold drops to hit his flesh. Sneezing hard he rubbed his nose with the sleeve of his robes and kept pushing forward. Eventually he arrived at the top of the summit. He had come to the island for a very specific purpose, and now that purpose stood in front of him. A young woman with feline features stood before him. She had the sharp eyes one would expect of a warrior, with perked up ears and dark blue hair. Her blue tail waving about from a small hole in the backside of the magitek armor that covered her skin. It was black and white with various rare gems woven into the metal fibers in order to better transmit aether throughout the body. The style was common for adventurers who wished to conserve aether throughout long battles. In her hand was a fierce greatsword that appeared to be made of the same ancient machinery as her outfit. It whirled a bit around a large gem in the middle of the blade, clearly showing its ability to turn into a drill if need be. Looking shocked Nobutaka called out to her.

"Sapphire, is it really you? I..., you… you vanished so suddenly! We thought something happened to you!" He called out franticly, tears visibly streaming down his face even in the rain showing his great grief.

Yet as the woman before him turned around her eyes held no such feelings. Gazing coldly at him her words rang clear even in the thunder ridden downpour. "I see you made it up here, I am impressed. I didn't think Doman scum were capable of such feats."

Shocked at the harsh words his former friend threw at him, Nobutaka recoiled. His face turned pale as the carbuncle next to him flattened its body, letting out a hissing noise as the red gem on its forehead began to glow and it's ears lay flat against it's back. As Nobutaka tried to protest her words the woman was already on the move. Deftly bringing her sword up high and slicing it down without remorse. If not for his keen battle instincts telling him to evade to the side the man would have surely been cleaved in two. Looking up in shock he yelled, pleading, "Stop! Have you gone mad? Its me, Nobu!," though the words seemed to have no effect. As soon as the sword had struck nothing but air she had already spun her foot around, the toe of which had caught the summoner by the side of the face flinging him across the top of the pass. 

"I am well aware of who you are. However, I have no business with a wretched Doman. Now prepare for your end."

As she charged again aether gathered in the summoner's hand with a triangular bolt of energy striking the woman dead center, forcing multi-colored chains to bind her feet. A technique known as "tri-bind" that Summoners often used to halt a fleeing foe. With a bit of a laugh a yellow energy covered the woman for a few moments, destroying the bindings as she suddenly lept forward and cut the Summoner deep. As Nobutaka tried to raise his arms to block her next attack dark energies gathered in her palm and blasted him backwards. It was clear that her powers as a Dark Knight had become stronger since they had last seen one another a year ago. Coughing up a bit of blood Nobutaka glared, holding his wound with his hand.

"I don't know what has possessed you but so be it." He said with gritted teeth as he launched a powerful blast of energy at her. Blocking with her sword the woman found herself pushed back before leaping again. This time as she landed in front of him she stabbed the broadsword right at his heart. Though, before the tip of the blade could reach it's mark, a loud cry echoed throughout the air. The carbuncle had skewered itself upon the blade in order to protect it's master. As it began to lose energy it shifted to its' true form, a red avatar of the Primal Ifrit, before bursting in a glorious explosion of flames. The swirling flames seemed to consume the Dark Knight as Nobutaka looked on in horror. However, as the flames dispersed, only some of the woman's clothing had been destroyed, leaving a few burn marks decorating her flesh. The moment Nobutaka regained his composure he lifted his book in order to prepare to summon another servant. However a quick swipe of the broadsword cut the book clean in half. Just as the tome fell to the ground the enchanted pages started to burn with green and white aether even as she continued her approach.

Crying out in a mix of sorrow and rage Nobutaka's entire body began to glow a purple hue. In that moment the visage of the Elder Primal Bahamut, an otherwise large dragon, appeared to consume his entire body. Levitating for a moment his eyes had become that of an enraged dragon glaring down upon her. Even the Dark Knight was stunned by the sight. Even as Nobutaka raised his hand gathering more and more aether to swirl in front of his palm a new voice joined the battle casting a far too familiar spell.

"TRIPLE FLARE!," the voice boomed. Before the great beast's energy could be unleashed, from the now transformed Nobutaka, three large explosions consumed the Summoner and the part of the cliff in which he was standing on with Sapphire swiftly moving backwards from the blast zone. Nobutaka screamed in pain whilst even the cliff beneath him melted away. Both he and the flaming pages of his Summoner's book fell far down the cliff side, slamming into and bouncing off jagged rocks along the way down before finally falling deep into the forest below until he was no longer visible from the large cliff face. The Dark Knight turned towards the Black Mage. Dressed in similar magitek robes and holding a mechanical staff with a large gem at the top, the mage looked rather unimpressed. This Black Mage was known as Elo. With half her body colored white and the other a deep black the Au Ra woman was a strange sight to behold. Yet her raw power was undeniable.  
"That wasn't necessary." Sapphire said bluntly. Gripping her sword the woman glared. However, the Au Ra simply shook her head in denial.  
"You wasted too much time. We have other things to do besides toy with a worthless Doman." With that said the two left the cliffside. While far below them the once valiant hero Nobutaka lay on his back, a massive gash on his sternum forced to stay open due to violet colored energy along the wounds edges while the rest of his body badly singed and next to him, his book which continued to burn as he slowly passed out, thinking of his former friends.


	2. Chapter 2: Ritsuko's Dream

It was a warm morning with fair weather in the small region of Shirogane. Located near the Eastern trade city of Kugane, the massive housing area was used by adventurers from Eorzea as a residential area for both Free Companies and private houses alike. At the top of a large hill sat a beautiful white castle with blue tiled roofs and golden trim on the outside. Its name was Tsuki Hashi Castle. A castle so tall that it was a bridge to the moon itself, so they say. The grounds of the castle had been decorated with cherry blossoms and was the current base of operations for the Free Company known as Lunar Haven. The castle, so grand it could be seen from anywhere in the housing area, was a promise kept from Nobutaka to give his small Free Company a grand castle of value equal to what his friends meant to him. Every member of the Free Company had worked themselves to the bone to be able to afford both the castle, and the land it stood on. Yet, not a single member would say it wasn't worth the cost.

Down the large hill from the castle sat various houses of different shapes and sizes belonging to Lunar Haven's individual members. One of these was a gray house with a beautiful blue fence and front red front doors had been ornately carved with a swirling design and the inside had been decorated with wood cabinets and various furnishings acquired from adventures across the realm. It belonged to a married couple named Ritsuko Nekomata and Dartmoor Vashta. The pair had been together a long time and would rarely be seen apart.

This morning the tall miqo'te with long, white hair and the build of a warrior, who sat in a chair on the first floor of the home, cards in hand, was the one who went by the name of Dartmoor. Across from him sat a close friend of the couple, Melkaili Redtail, with her beautiful dark red hair and cunning blue eyes she held her own hand of cards. The two had been playing for over an hour without a clear winner. As Dartmoor played a card Melkaili's eyes became sharp as her ears perked up. Her plan was finally ready as she quickly raised a card from her hand with a triumphant look on her face, until the calm morning suddenly came to a screeching halt. A blood curdling scream from downstairs forced both Melkaili and Dartmoor to drop their cards.

Ritsuko, a Doman looking black haired cat girl known for her accuracy with her bow had woken up in a cold sweat. The normally composed look on her face gone as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Both Dartmoor and Melkaili rushed downstairs to find the newly awoken Ritsuko breathing heavy, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at Dartmoor. Her skin was cold and pale as Dartmoor rushed to her side. 

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Do we need to call someone," he asked as his wife just shook her head, while the tears streamed down her face. 

"I-I saw Nobu. I had a dream he was dead. Someone hurt him and he was on the ground, cut open and burning!" She yelled, recalling the dream as the thought was all too painful to relive again. Both Dartmoor and Melkaili sat next to her in bed as Dartmoor held her close, only for her to push him away, grabbing some cotton clothing from her otherwise regal looking wardrobe. At a half march she moved out of the house whilst Dartmoor tried to stop her, trying his best to keep pace as Ritsuko broke into a jog. 

"Hey, hey, it was just a dream. I'm sure Nobu is fine. We aren't at war right now so he is probably in the castle waking up. Here, I'll message him." Dartmoor said, trying to comfort her. He then pulled out a small pearl from his pocket. The magical items known as linkshells helped adventurers communicate with one another even across long distances. Saying the guild leader's name in the pearl Dartmoor waited for the usual glow of an answered ping. However, even as he said Nobu's name multiple times not only would he get no response, but the linkshell pearl didn't even flicker to acknowledge the message was sent. Fearing it broken Dartmoor tried to communicate with Melkaili's linkpearl that glowed and recited his message right away. The lack of reply causing Ritsuko to look even more afraid as she broke into a full sprint to the house closest to the guild's castle.

The large house looked like it could have been a guild hall of its own for a smaller guild. A large white building with a deep red tiled roof, belonged to the Free Company's second in command. Upon reaching the front door, Dartmoor and Melkaili behind her, she began slamming her first as hard as she could into the twin red doors of the building. Screaming as loud as she could in panic she shouted the name of the Free Company's commander, Xerelia Shoken, over and over.

On the top floor of the large building in a double bed, a young looking miqo'te with short red hair, large eyes, and intricate red facial tattoos covering her cheeks and forehead, shot up. The knocking all the way downstairs sounded like a pounding headache to her sensitive ears. Sitting up, red lingerie covering her body she tried to move so as to not disturb her currently resting lover. An Au'Ra with light blue skin and dark blue horns named Alagh Dotharl. Her blue skin completely exposed in the bed and her short blue hair resting near Xere's pillow. Half asleep the miqo'te rushed downstairs. Opening the front door to see three of her friends waiting for her, one of them in an obvious panic.

Xerelia didn't bother to cover herself as she looked at them, causing Dartmoor to blush a bit as a sleepy Xerelia spoke, "What is it? What's wrong?," she asked. Ritsuko then recited her entire dream about Nobutaka on a strange island, going up a hill, and seeing two of the guild's members not only attacking Nobutaka but directly causing his death.

The frantic yelling and reciting of the tale had caused the Au Ra upstairs to stir from her sleep. Hearing voices yelling downstairs Alagh was quick to put on a lightly armored shirt before picking up her massive, ornate axe covered in beautiful crimson feathers she had won from defeating the phoenix Suzaku in combat. Alagh was one of the guild's premier frontline fighters and wasted no time in preparing for a fight. Seeing her guild mates chatting with no obvious sign of attack Alagh lowered her guard and looked at Xerelia confused. "What is going on?," she asked simply.

Xerelia shook her head a bit, "Nobu is missing, apparently no one can reach him and Ritsuko had a dream that he was murdered."

To which Alagh just looked at the group and shrugged, "It is is probably just off chasing miqo'te in Kugane." The words forcing Mekaili to quickly perk up her ears and tail.

"See! Exactly what I said!" she added.

"That or writing more of his hingan cooperative plays." Xerelia remarked before looking at Ritsuko. Ritsuko shook her head with a concerned expression. 

"Guys I'm serious, I'm really worried. Please help," she pleaded. Alagh and Xerelia looked at one another before both pulling out their own linkshell pearls, neither of which seemed to be able to reach Nobutaka.

"Let us get dressed and we'll go to the castle." Xere said, politely closing the door as the two went to change. Eventually coming out of the house in proper attire.

Together, the group of five approached the large castle on top of the hill. The yard of the castle was decorated by a beautiful koi pond and garden, as well as a stable in which held the members' various chocobo mounts. The wooden doors of the castle would give way to a large first floor that was a beautiful sight to behold, complete with a dining hall on the right and to the left, a small alcove that was home to the various merchants that provided the guild with goods and services. In front of the group, in the middle of the castle, was a long red carpet leading to a grand staircase that would take one to the second floor which held the group's meeting hall and library. The bottom of the staircase itself was also flanked on both sides by beautiful cherry blossom trees. The Hingan style mansion looked as though it had been built with a classical Doman fashion in mind.

In the first floor's merchant nook stood former adventurers turned merchants. The group of four did various tasks such as supply the guild with crafting materials, or repairing and upgrading their armor and weaponry for them. Every member of the quartet had been with the guild even before they had purchased the large castle.

Their leader was a large hyur with a salt and pepper beard and bulging muscles. The man was simply referred to as "Old Man" by the members of the Free Company and, as the blacksmith, was in charge of repairing the group's armor and weapons after adventures. In front of him stood two young lalafell named Tick and Tock who served as the guild's merchants. They sold various wares to the guild members and traded whatever they brought back from questing for a bit of gill. When the group had put out wanted posters for help, the two lalafell merchants from the city state of Ul'dah seemed more than eager to answer the call. Both females, Tick was very pale with black hair and rather simple clothing while Tock, on the other hand, was very dark skinned with brown hair and preferred nicer clothing. The two matched so well it was easy to see why they worked together as best friends. Also living in the guild hall was a rather quiet male Au'ra with white hair, and off white scales who served as the guild's materia mender. He rarely talked so no one had ever quite been sure what his name was or his origins. This however was all made up for simply by how skilled he was at his job of course.

Seeing the familiar faces of the guild merchants Ritsuko rushed over to them. "Have you seen Nobu?," she asked hurriedly. Tick and Tock both looked at one another, one of them shrugging and looking at the other as the other shrugged and looked back. Finally the both just shook their heads. With the quiet Au Ra also shaking his head, the blacksmith, per usual, spoke for the group. 

"We haven't seen him in at least three days." He said, a bit of a questioning look on his face as Ritsuko explained the reason for the sudden question. The two lalafell soon had shocked expressions upon their faces.

"Nobu? No way he would die that easily!" Tock said confidently.

"Yeah, he is a master summoner after all!" Tick chimed in. 

"Listen lass, I don't think you need to worry about Nobutaka. He hired me when his group was still five people in a house no bigger than a shoebox. I've watched that boy grow from barely being able to take on a goblin to taking on gods incarnate. Though that dream does seem peculiar." The old blacksmith said in a deep, raspy voice.

Crossing her arms Xerelia looked around. The large building didn't even have a scent of the group's leader, causing her face to wrinkle a bit with worry. "We should get the guild members together and see if any of them know. I'll put out a summons to everyone and get them to start searching." She said with a nod while raising her hand to the linkpearl in her ear.


	3. Chapter 3: Ill Omens

"Now Fall!" With the order declared a howling gale tore through the forest. The Ixal, a bird like race that live in the frozen North of Eorzea known as Coerthas, often ventured South into the mystic woods of the Black Shroud. The beastmen typically ventured South in order to gather aether crystals to summon their goddess Garuda. A tall woman that looked like an angel with white and green feathers and eyes blacker than midnight, she demanded sacrifice from all who followed her. Using her massive wings she was able to decimate armies with gale force winds.

The summoning of Garuda was a frequent blight upon the land, and it fell upon the adventurers and their Free Companies to put down the Ixal's god. This time it fell upon four members of the Free Company Lunar Haven to lay the scourge low. The quartet had been on the hunt for days in order to find the Ixali summoning grounds. However, by the time they had arrived the crafty beastmen had already brought their goddess to bear. All around them, not only did Garuda's winds hurl large stones at them but Garuda herself threw razor sharp feathers while creating decimating wind bursts under their feet. As Garuda moved towards the quartet, preparing to slice them to ribbons with her razor like talons, her attack was intercepted by a large war axe. The small Miqo'te behind the axe was being gradually pushed back by her opponent's strength but none the less stood her ground as best she could.

Luna Astra was a rather cute girl. She was small and often chose to dress not in the traditional battle armor of a warrior but instead in the beautiful outfits used by the maidens of Shisui. Due to her fashion sense one could easily mistake her for a dancer rather than a fighter. Yet her resilient posture and mighty war axe made her role quite clear. As Garuda rapidly jabbed at her she did her best to parry the strikes, and found those that struck true quickly healed. Behind her stood a tall Hyur, Pharais Hunt. A taller man with dark, majestic, well kept facial hair and large, ruby lensed spectacles to hide his eyes. He was well known as a healer and seemed to be the first choice when the Free Company had sent a strike team against Garuda. In his hands a beautiful bronze planisphere whirled to life, casting spells of shielding as well as healing while Luna fought on.

While Pharais and Luna kept Garuda at bay the other two members of the quartet, the two strikers prepared to take the Goddess down. A well known couple, and senior members of Lunar Haven along with Pharais. The Au Ra pair jumped out from behind a recently thrown boulder and began the attack. The first to strike was Valindra Winterflower. A skilled Bard with beautiful maroon hair and pale skin whom, much like Luna, prefered the shisui gear over battle armor, knocked a purple tipped arrow and let it fly into the back shoulder of her foe. As Garuda screamed and turned towards her Luna let out a mighty battle cry.

"Don't turn away!" She yelled as she began speeding up her attacks.

The insane Goddess of the Ixal turned back and forth between the two, rapidly shooting feathers at them both as a blade suddenly dug deep into one of the wounds created by Valindra's arrow.

"Nothing personal kid." The other half of the couple said quietly, driving his blade deeper. The ninja's name was Crow Shroudwalker. A tall, dark skinned Au Ra known for his purple combat robes and deadly battle focus. As he kicked off of Garuda's back and lept away two after images of him remained on her back, soon dissolving away. It was a special skilled used by trained assassins known as Dream Within a Dream. It created two clones, for a total of three daggers striking instead of one. The damage to Garuda's back had caused her to fall as the wound festered from the poison coating Crow's blades, as well as the Caustic Bite technique Valindra had unleashed.

As Garuda fell Valindra unleashed a second, more devastating attack. A beautiful stream of arrows, made of pure energy, rained down upon Garuda, dissolving her body and forcing the whirlwind around the party to cease. While Luna sat down to rest Pharais breathed a much needed sigh of relief. The fight itself hadn't been particularly difficult, however the three days of tracking had drained a lot of the group's energy. With their foe gone Valindra smiled and moved to the rest of her group.

"Don't worry, I brought hot cocoa!" She said, happily pouring the drink into four cups. Luna let out a cheer and opened her own pack.

"I brought meat buns!" And so the two women cheered as they began divvying out the snacks. Both Pharais and Crow looked at one another, giving silent nods while smiling. Neither talked overly much but both appreciated one another's company and understood what a job well done felt like. As Pharais prepped a stack of firewood Crow made a series of hand seals, summoning a large frog he had befriend to set the wood ablaze, bringing the group's new campfire to life while the others sat around it.

"I'll report back," Pharais offered, raising his hand to his ear in order to use his linkpearl. Though as he prepared to send a message back to Nobu his pearl went off with a new message from Xerelia instead. Not only his but Valindra's, Crow's, and Luna's as well.

"Hello. I know you are busy tracking Garuda but is Nobu with you? Have you seen him?" The group looked at one another, confused, then looked around.

"Um, nope. No Nobu here," Valindra responded, "Why? What's wrong?"

Xere then explained what had happened to the group, all four of the quartet quickly looking concerned after hearing of Ritsuko's strange dream. As Xere then asked the group to return to the guild hall Pharais nodded along.

"We just completed the Garuda mission. We'll come back right away," he said as Luna pouted a bit.

"So much for our rest time." And with that the group packed up and made their way back to their guild hall.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Black Shroud, one of Lunar Haven's members sat clapping. Nyssa Shylah, a Miqo'te with dark skin well known for her fake rabbit ears and dark purple hair, as well as her expert use of guns, currently sat in a beautiful purple dress with straight combed hair. In the midst of the Black Shroud was a large cathedral used for wedding ceremonies by adventurers. As Nyssa clapped for the two young men in front of her, gazing happily into one another's eyes, she heard the familiar sounds of her linkpearl going off in her ear. Raising her hand to her ear as discreetly as possible she responded to Xere's summon with a polite, "Hello?"

As Xere asked if she had seen Nobu, Nyssa gave a slightly confused side eye.

"Not for a few days. Why what's wrong?" Then as Xerelia explained what had happened Nyssa's eyes grew wide. She was about to yell but quickly remembered the setting she was in and instead nodded politely, still doing her best to smile and look happy for the couple on stage.

"Well, I'm at a wedding right now. When it's done I'll ask Claribel." She said, smirking a bit. The smirk not being due to the Free Company's missing leader, but instead about the person she had just mentioned. As Claribel noticed Nyssa looking at her the wedding planner smiled at Nyssa who then waved back. Claribel was an employee at the cathedral. A beautiful girl with long black hair who always dressed in a nice suit. She was in charge of helping adventures coordinate their weddings, and was not so well known for having more than one tryst with the Free Company's infamous leader. 

It didn't take long for the happy couple, a pair of Roegadyn, to finish the ceremony, riding off with one another on the back of a large, well decorated white chocobo. As people began to scatter Nyssa approached Claribel with a kind smile. The air in the shroud was a bit cold in spite of it being mid day.

"Good afternoon Claribel," Nyssa said politely. The wedding planner smiled back before giving a polite bow.

"Good afternoon." She looked particularly happy, as per usual after helping adventurers complete a wedding ceremony. Though as Nyssa looked the girl up and down she noticed something different. On her wrist was a beautiful bracelet one didn't come by so easily. It was only obtainable from defeating enemies within The Swallow's Compass, an ancient temple in Doma. As Claribel followed Nyssa's eyes the wedding planner was quick to blush moving her sleeve down to cover the bracelet.

"Another gift from Nobu?," her tone decidedly teasing as Claribel blushed more.

"Um, well, yes." She then tried to avoid eye contact but to no avail.

"Speaking of which, have you seen Nobu?" At the question the wedding planner jumped a bit in surprise before her face turned a bit disheartened.

"No, actually, I haven't seen him for a while. He was suppose to come to the cathedral yesterday." Her eyes gazed straight down as Nyssa hugged her.

"Well, I doubt it's you. He talks about you a lot. Unfortunately, we can't find him right now. So I was wondering if you knew anything." Though as Claribel shook her head a bit, her expression still sad, it was clear the Free Company wouldn't be getting answers here.

Back at the group's castle Xere shook her head a bit as Nyssa and Pharais finished reporting in. Alagh gazed at her wife concerned.

"Maybe he is with the new members?" A few days earlier most of the guild's newer members had been sent to various parts of the Black Shroud, not only to track down Garuda but also to deal with another, but of no less import, issue. The Black Shroud was home to gruesome creatures known as Morbols. They looked like giant mouths with tentacles holding them up. They also had breath that could kill an entire group of adventurers in less than a minute if they came in direct contact with the fumes. This time of year the Morbol population boomed as the various seeds put underground during mating season finally hatched and invaded the area. Thus the Free Companies annually sent their newer members into the area known as The Aurum Vale in order to keep the morbol population down. Sadly, at the mention of hatching season, Xerelia just shook her head.

"He hates morbols with a passion. Though I do have one more idea. I'll be back soon." And with that, smiling at Ritsuko and Alagh in an attempt to help them relax, Xerelia vanished. As the world dissolved and reformed around her Xerelia stood in Mor Dhona. A small city in Eorzea's North, Mor Dhona was once a thriving city before the catastrophe. Now it was a hub for adventurers, as well as the home base of The Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Brave heroes who worked with the adventurers to help save Eorzea from ruin. As Xere moved inside The Rising Stones, a bar that also acted as the home base of the Scions, she was greeted by a familiar face. Alisaie Leveilleur was the granddaughter of the realm's most famous savior and was a skilled Red Mage. She gazed at Xerelia with a worrisome look. Things had been difficult for the scions as of late and it seemed Xere had arrived at a rough time.

Being the kind to put everyone ahead of herself Xerelia approached Alisaie with a warm smile. "You look troubled, what's wrong?" she asked. Alisaie gazed at her for a moment, trying to decide how to phrase her problems.

"I'm glad you have come. We have been receiving strange reports lately. Strange Aether flows have been recorded in the Southern Seas. We've detected unusually large amounts of aether spreading out, encompassing a wide area of ocean, then receding back to the same point before suddenly dying out. We don't have a reason for it." Her concern was clear as Xere crossed her arms. It was obviously a problem that needed investigating, but Xerelia had also come for her own reasons.

"The Southern Sea is full of small islands, and is stormy this time of year isn't it?" She questioned as Alisaie nodded in agreement

"Well yes, why?" Though as she asked Xere had been gazing off into the distance, attempting to put some ideas together.

"We can't find Nobutaka and I was wondering if you had seen or heard from him. We have reason to believe he may have gone to an island somewhere without telling anyone." Coincidences, at least in the lives of adventurers, rarely happened. Though the island Ritsuko imaged Nobu on could easily be any part of the sea. Which still meant the Free Company was left in the dark.

"No, I'm afraid not. Though, it isn't beyond him to investigate such things. Has he not researched aether flows for his summoning before?"

Giving a sigh Xerelia gazed at the ceiling, "Perhaps he did go South. Though why would he go alone? Where in the world are you Nobu?" She then shook her head a bit to clear her mind. "Once we finish with the annual morbol clearing we'll send a group South. For now I need to get back to the Free Company and figure out Nobu's whereabouts. My intuition is acting up, and none of this feels right." As Alisaie wished her luck Xerelia quickly warped back to the Free Company's estate to find Ritsuko, Dart, Alagh, and Melkaili waiting.

"No word on Nobu from the Scions. Though, I am concerned. They said a strange aether flow is gathering in the South Sea. Ritsuko's stormy island from her dream isn't uncharacteristic of the small island in the area. Something is bothering me, but I hope it's nothing."


	4. Chapter 4: Letters

While Xere and the others traveled around Eorzea looking for their leader some members of Haven had other plans. On the second floor of Lunar Haven's castle was a well furnished sun room decorated with red and blue furniture and a large carpet in the middle of the room it was normally used as a meeting room however on this particular afternoon the room was serving a different purpose. Resting in the room were three miqo'te, sprawled out on the furniture and enjoying the sunlight manifesting through the room's various windows.

All three could hear the commotion going on downstairs and as they heard footsteps moving towards them they knew what was about to happen. With the vice guild leader opening the door to the sun room one of the resting miqo'te let out a fierce yawn before stretching and sitting up. Shir'a Zen was a black haired male who often dressed in a similar fashion compared to Pharais. His trademark ruby lensed glasses moved up to his forehead, he squinted a bit as his light sensitive eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room. Glancing over at a nearby couch Shir'a gazed at the woman curled up upon it, currently covered in sunlight, a low purr escaping her lips.

"Sua," Shir'a said simply stirring the thin cat girl known by Suaco Linath out of her slumbering state. Suaco had pale skin yet possessed incredibly toned muscles. While clearly a creature of comfort her body also had a fair share of scars. Yawning a bit the woman sat up as well to gaze up at Xere.

"Oh, hey." Sua said simply, rubbing her eyes a bit with the sleeve of the large cotton shirt and pants she often wore when resting. Her usual battle armor currently resided downstairs in her personal room. As Shir'a then opened his mouth to wake the third member of their triumvirate. A young miqo'te with skin as dark as night and silver hair as white as a full moon, known to her companions as Ves Grey, raised her hand, flat palmed and facing Shir'a to stop him from yelling. Ves then sat up and gazed up at Xerelia.

"Nobu is missing right?" Ves asked, scratching the back of her ears, her right teal green hue gazed up sleepily at their company's second in command while a cloth eye patch covered her left purple hue. Xerelia nodded in response. The three miqo'te seemed lazy at the moment but this particular trio often acted as Lunar Haven's information network, handling everything from supply shipment paperwork, to the castle itself, to finding out who the local lords in Doma wanted killed and when.

Shir'a stood up, scratching his chin. He gave a decidedly gloomy look, "I noticed he hadn't been around for a bit, and it's weird for him to vanish in the middle of the week... Unfortunately though I haven't heard anything."

As though to offer some relief to the situation Sua chimed in, "You know, if Nobu did rush off somewhere he probably hasn't been there before, so he probably couldn't teleport. Why not ask a boat operator in Limsa or Kugane?" Ves nodded in agreement as Xere pondered the idea for moment.

"It is worth checking out. Can I leave it to you three?" Xere inquired.

"I don't see why not," Shira answered as Ves and Suaco nodded along in agreement.

"Give us a chance to change first and we'll see what we can do." Suaco offered as she grabbed some fresh clothes from a nearby armoire while also tossing some less casual clothes to Ves. It didn't take long for both to change as Xere headed downstairs. They didn't need to go out the front door since all three knew how to teleport all around Eorzea. They had their mission and already knew what needed to be done.

"I'll check the docks here with Sua. Ves why don't you head off to Limsa and search for him there?" At Shira's orders Ves and Sua nodded, and all three began floating and glowing. Their consciousness shifting, followed by their bodies, to their desired locations.

Ves was the first to arrive. All around her she could hear merchants trading and shouting about their goods. In the distance seagulls bothered sailors on large boats for scraps of food and particularly shiny coins. The series of slurs leaving the sailors' mouths failed to escape her ears and brought a mischievous grin to her face, recalling a time when she had been on the receiving end of many of those same curses. Although it was good to visit her old home again she wasn't here for that now. Near the far end of the merchant's area named Hawker's Alley in Limsa was the Arcanist guild. It was the guild's job to inspect all items going in and out of the city. Often enough it was this guild was also tasked with checking the travel itineraries of the various ships that came and went from the city's port. Walking up to the nearest counter, a rather large Roegadyn getting in line behind her, Ves looked at the tiny lalafell on the stool.

"Excuse me! I was hoping you might be able to help me find a friend of mine: Nobutaka Fairclough? Do you know if he's been through, lately?" She asked with a polite smile, though cutting straight to the matter at hand as she flashed her Haven emblem - a golden bird traveling over a blue sky towards the horizon. Haven's members were well known in Limsa, and the lalafell's widening eyes only served to further highlight that fact.

"Wow, a member of Haven!" The lalafell looked young, likely only recently promoted to work at the counter. The small aid stood tapping his foot for a bit thinking before finally shrugging and giving up. "I've never met him, or seen him. Not even in travel logs really. Just stories from my parents about Haven's exploits!," the lalafell cheered. Ves couldn't help but flush at the implied compliment, but nodded with another warm smile in thanks and waved her surprise at the lalafell's excitement aside.

"I don't know that we're all _that_ special. Really, we're just like everyone else; just trying to do our best. Anyway, thanks for your time!" She said as she excused herself. Limsa was a dead end, at least for now, and raising a hand to her ear Ves was the first to report that Nobu was still missing.

Meanwhile Shir'a and Suaco had teleported to the docks at the front of the housing area. As Ves reported in Sua tapped her foot a bit and looked around. "If Nobu was in a hurry, he wouldn't go all the way to Doma to get a boat. He would just get on one as quick as possible and take off right?" Sua offered. Shir'a looked around but it was hard to tell what boats had gone missing, if any even had. As the two looked around one of the merchant's near the dock yelled at them and waved them over.

"HEY! HEY OVER HERE! EXCUSE ME!" The merchant beckoned. Shir'a and Sua looked to one another uncertain about the request but decided to follow it nonetheless. Approaching the merchant Shir'a gazed at the stall's goods. Apparently it was a merchant who sold various small housing goods for adventurers living in the area. "You guys are looking for Nobutaka Fairclough right?" The merchant asked.

Shir'a nodded, "He is missing. Have you seen him by chance?"

The merchant looked up at the roof of his stall for a moment before giving the pair an odd look. "Well, you know. I heard about two nights ago he was acting strange... He was running towards the docks like a bat out of hell he was. One of the sailors said he summoned a large airship and just took off towards the Southwest! Some big pink ship!," the merchant exclaimed. Both looked at one another with a sense of dread. They knew exactly what had happened.

Back at the castle Xere's face had turned dour. "Alagh, please go check how many ariships we have."

The request made it easy for the others to adopt a similarly unhappy face as Alagh went into the guild's workshop and checked on the ships. A few minutes later she came out with her arms crossed.

"One airship missing."

Every Free Company had airships for transportation that they often used to reach distant lands and gather rare crafting materials. It was common for the airships to be deployed on missions, but at present all ships had been brought in for upgrades and repairs. The fact that one was missing made it clear how Nobu had managed to move from the housing area to the Southern Seas so quickly, if that was in fact where he had gone. Xerelia called on Ves, Shir'a, and Suaco to return to the castle, pacing a bit as she thought of what to do next.

"We can check general destinations of the airships right?" Ritsuko offered.

"Yes, but that doesn't tell us why, or which island." Alagh replied.

As tension rose on the main floor the doors of the castle burst open as a triumphant looking Valindra walked in. Pharais, Crow, and Luna following closely behind her. She looked proud of herself as she held up arrows freshly crafted from Gardua's razor sharp feathers.  
"One more primal down!," she cheered. Though the quartet quickly picked up on the less than positive vibe in the room.

"Still no word from Nobu I take it?" Pharais asked. Standing next to Shir'a it was difficult to tell the two apart save for Shir'a's cat ears and lack of stylish goatee.

"No. Apparently he took an airship and left to the Southwest." Dartmoor replied.

As the assembled Free Company members began discussing what it could mean Tick, one of the Free Company's merchants, spoke up. "You know, I did see a strange letter on his desk a few nights ago, and some maps!" The lalafell then gazed towards the door that seperated the guild's private chambers from the rest of the castle.

"Yeah, it was a gold and black letter!" Tock added.

The assembled guild members moved towards Nobutaka's private chamber only to find the door locked. Behind them the guild's merchants gazing on as Xere tried the handle twice. As the door didn't move the Free Company's blacksmith began reaching into his robes to try and help, but before he could say anything Valindra's body glowed as her armor set changed. With a fierce battle cry the large axe Valindra was now carrying slammed hard into the wooden door, demolishing it in a single blow. The assembled guild members looked at her in shock, the guild's merchants doing the same as the old blacksmith finally spoke up.

"You...know we have a key….right?" he asked slowly.

Valindra put the axe back on her shoulder, "This is an emergency!," she proudly declared.

"She didn't know you had a key." Crow responded.

As the group entered Nobutaka's private chambers the familiar, dreamy music played. Nobu had turned his private bedroom into both a bedroom and office. Split by a dividing wall the front part of the room had a large desk and various bookshelves as well as a table with chairs on either side. While the back of the room had beds not only for Nobu himself but for the guild's merchants as well, in case for some reason they needed to rest at the Free Company's castle for the evening.

Approaching Nobu's desk Ritsuko picked up the letter in question. It appeared to be handwritten and the envelope it had come in was addressed specifically to Nobutaka. The paper was black and gold but the envelope for the letter appeared to be dirty and tattered. Picking up the letter and giving it a once over Ritsuko gave a loud gasp, dropping the letter with Xerelia quickly catching it. Reading the letter Xere looked just as shocked as Ritsuko had, before her face turned to a decided frown. Passing the letter around Pharais read it aloud.

"Nobu,  
I don't have long to write this and I hope it reaches you. I can only hope you get this. I have been on an island in the Southern Seas for the past six months. A group of scholars from Sharlayan found a powerful machine on the island and I ended up being their guardian. I don't think they are Sharlayan's though. Something strange is happening on the island. People are going missing, and the entire island smells like blood. The storms we have are too fierce and the people in charge of the investigation don't seem right. Please hurry. I need you to come as fast as you can. I'm sure they want to kill me and I can't teleport back home. Please, hurry! I've included a map to the island!

-Sapphire Gemlock"

In response Ves cocked her head sideways. "Wait, Sapphire is on an island, and managed to send a letter in a nice envelope, but somehow couldn't slip away long enough to just leave? That doesn't make sense." Ves said.

"I'm also not sure this is Sapphire's handwriting." Dartmoor added as the group gazed at Nobu's desk to see a map he had left behind as well as a clear route to the island Sapphire had mentioned.

"It is Sapphire though. I'm sure the moment Nobu saw her name he took off without thinking." Valindra said, shaking her head. Both Crow and Pharais nodded in agreement as Xere took the letter back, examining it again.

"Nobu, why didn't you tell anyone? Why go alone?" She knew the answer of course.

Xerelia took the time to inform the other guild members of her meeting with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and the rumors swirling around the Southern Seas. Raising her hand to her ear she activated the Link Pearl for the entire guild.

"Nyssa, Yurika, and any other available senior guild members please come to the castle at once. We've found Nobu. We need to go save him."


	5. Chapter 5: Rescue Team

All of Haven's senior members sat in the sun room of the Free Company's castle. Xerelia, Lunar Haven's second in command, had put a call out after finding out the location of their leader. Alagh, Pharais, Nyssa, Ritsuko, Dartmoor, Crow, Valindra, and Yurika Yumitori, a powerful tank fair skinned Au'ra known for her silky black hair and strong will. The eight assembled guild members all sat on the various couches and chairs in the room, gazing at Xerelia.

The frustrated looking cat girl paced a bit, holding the letter from Sapphire in her hand. She thought carefully on how to explain the situation as Yurika spoke up.

"We already all know why we are here," she stated simply.

After all, the group had been assembled nearly half an hour ago and had spoken amongst themselves all while Xere thought carefully on what to do. Grimacing a bit Xerelia finally spoke. "Alright. Nobu is missing, and we know why. He got a letter from Sapphire and rushed off. Ritsuko's dream concerns me. It was right about him being on an island, and I worry if he went alone he may really have gotten hurt by someone. So I think Alagh, Pharais, and I will go look for him."

Instantly the other senior guild members looked at Xere with concern.

"I'm worried, and since it was my dream I'm coming too!" Ritsuko Objected.

"If Ritsuko is going I'm going to, plus you three can't go alone." Dartmoor added, Ritsuko smiling at her husband as she held his arm.

"Um, If Nobu is in trouble, I'm not just sitting here. We could just go raid together!" Valinda said cheerfully as Crow nodded thoughtfully by her side.

"I already got volunteered and Nobu will need healing if he is somehow still alive. So I'll come." Pharais chimed in, stroking his beard a bit.

"We are all senior members of Haven. We should all just go together." Nyssa said firmly, looking at Yurika to agree with her. The pale Au'ra shrugged a bit.

"We shouldn't let Alagh be the only tank." At the show of unity, Xerelia's face took on a warm smile as a voice came from outside the room.

"Shir'a, Ves, and myself can hold down the fort. Go get Nobu." Suaco said. After all the senior members had been using the trio's personal lounging area for the meeting. The sudden interruption caused both Ritsuko and Nyssa to start giggling as Xere opened the door like a mother realizing her children had been listening in the whole time. Outside the door stood Sua, Shir'a, Ves, and Luna.  
"Plus someone needs to be here in case Nobu comes back." Shir'a added.

As Xere looked back at the group everyone already seemed to be double checking the battle gear and items they had on them. Being skilled adventurers most of them just kept the items they would need in combat on them at all times. Sometimes hidden in parts of the Free Company's storage chests.

"Alright, we'll trust things to you guys." Xere said, preparing to leave before Luna interrupted her.

"What about me?" Luna inquired. Xere stopped for a moment. Thinking of how to respond when she suddenly got an idea and a clever smile crossed over her features.

"I have a special mission for you Luna!" Xere proclaimed as the assembled Haven members all turned to look.

"Really? A-are you sure?" She asked, a bit taken aback by Xere's sudden declaration.

"A lot of strange things have been going on in the Southern Seas lately, and a lot of strange aether flows have been detected. We don't know what is waiting for us and we may need an emergency rescue. Also, Nobu's linkshell isn't working and it's probably due to the strange aether currents in the area. So go visit the Ironworks!" At the order a few of the Haven members started giggling as Luna's cheeks started turning a bit pink.

"You mean... go see... C-Ci-" She tried to say it but her face steadily turned more red the harder she tried. Xere's smile had turned truly vicious like a cat with a mouse cornered.

"You have to. The rest of us have our jobs. The Scions are all busy. No one else can go talk to him except you." Sua and Dartmoor had both started laughing really hard, nearly to the point of falling over. It was well known that Luna's crush towards the engineer, and his masterful use of technology, was no small thing. As she tried to glare at Suaco her face had turned dalamud red.

Doing his best to remove the tears from his face Dartmoor moved towards the door of the room with the others behind him. "Well, we better get going. Good luck Luna!" He said, smiling a bit.

"We have a house to watch, so we better start with this room. Let us know how it goes Luna." Sua said, moving into the now empty sunroom with Shir'a and Ves following.

As Luna started moving downstairs she found Melkaili Redtail, Ritsuko and Dartmoor's friend and fellow Haven members, talking with the Free Company's merchants. Far too embarrassed she yelled, "MELKAILI COME WITH ME!," to which the miqo'te jumped a bit and looked back.

"Um, okay, but where?"

Luna's face still pretty red she blurted out, "TO SEE CID!" Then embarrassed she pushed the castle doors open before running out, a confused Melkaili following close behind.

Meanwhile Haven's senior guild members had moved to the guild's workshop. A large metal hanger full of maps and design plans. It contained a large holographic screen for imputing coordinates and planning travel routes. Taking the location from Sapphire's letter Xere pulled up a map. Unfortunately, it seemed that travel to the island would take quite a while, even using their fastest ship.

"Nobu was just one person so he didn't add much weight, and he took our fastest ship." Alagh said, a bit of spite in her words. Less over Nobu's appearance and more so that the group's best way of collecting resources had been taken away.

"Yeah, and if we take the other airships and they break along the way we will be in trouble." Ritsuko added.

The group gazed at the maps for a while in contemplation before Nyssa smiled. "Manacutters," she said simply. The manacutters had been designed by Cid as small, single person airships that could travel at high speeds and slice through thick aether currents and barriers. The rest of the group all looked at one another and nodded. They didn't need fuel due to their design and would be perfect for the journey.

"We should teleport as far south as we can first, to save time though." Crow suggested before pointing to the southern tip of Doma. The very southern part of the Ruby Sea was the furthest south the group was currently able to instant travel to. As their bodies began to glow and levitate, reality warped around them and within a few seconds the familiar trappings of the guild's hanger had been replaced by the chilled winds and salt water smells of the Ruby Sea. As each held their hands out one by one a mancutter was summoned in front of them.

Strapping into their vehicles Xere activated the linkshell pearl. "Everyone, keep your linkshell pearls on and keep in constant touch. It may get difficult the further South we go." And like rockets into the horizon the group took off.

The clouds seemed to rush past them as the nine of them traveled Southwest. The area they currently set out for hadn't been properly mapped and adventurers rarely had reason to travel that far South. The other problem came with the constant storms, and even legends of ship graveyards and evil spirits that haunted the Southern Seas. Any small island could easily be completely empty, or full of pirates, or even full of dragons if one wasn't careful. It would take the group less than four hours of traveling to see a black and gray sky in the distance. Lightning was easily seen jumping along the thick storm clouds.

"Are you sure we shouldn't try and go around?" Valindra asked as the group kept going forward.

"It will be too slow. Look at how wide the clouds are!" Alagh yelled back. It was hard for the group to hear one another due to the wind rushing past them, and would no doubt be worse yet once they entered the cloudbanks up ahead.

"We have about an hour of daylight left!" Crow shouted as the group, now getting closer to the storm, began diving down to hug the water's surface. The roars of thunder filled the air as hard rain swept over them. They knew the higher up they traveled the more appealing they would seem to all of the lightning moving about. As Nyssa's stomach began to growl, so did Ritsuko's, followed by Xere's. The group had left around noon and it was already into the evening hours. They had managed to cover a lot of ground in six hours but they still would need to travel another full day to reach the island. As Xere gripped the controls of the manacutter hard she had a tough choice to make. They needed to reach Nobu quickly, but she also knew the group couldn't fight on an empty stomach and the storm was making it difficult to travel. They also hadn't encountered whatever strange aetheric activity Xere had been warned about prior to their mission. Finally breathing and using her monk training to clear her mind and focus she gazed up ahead, slightly pulling back on the controls of her manacutter to slow it's pace.

"On the left, up ahead, a small island with a cave. We can withdraw the manacutters and rest for the night!" She shouted. The rest of the group had a difficult time hearing above the storm, but Xere raised her arm, waved, and pointed to an upcoming island. One by one the rest of the group responded in agreement as they slowed their crafts and pulled in to the island for their much needed rest. It was about the size of one of Eorzea's housing districts and had a large cave in the middle. As the group, with some of their stomachs now loudly growling, entered they kept their weapons at the ready. Fortunately nothing seemed to be afoot as they went back outside to their manacutters and begin to set up a makeshift camp.

"If Nobu is in danger and anything violent is on the island going full speed and hungry will only hurt us, and I don't plan on dying with an empty stomach." Xere said with a bit of a sigh as she got some food ready.

Pharais and Crow both nodded. "We have been pushing the manacutters at top speed all day. I'm sure it will be fine." Crow said in order to try and comfort their party leader.

As the camp was finishing being set up it contained a fire, multiple cans of food and drink, and nine rolled out beds in the Doman style. They would need to be washed of course, but the group would surely be sleeping in comfort. As one by one they stripped their gear the ladies took one side of the cave as the men took the other. Nyssa and Yurika had worked hard to set up traps by the entrance should anything try and enter the cave during the storm.

"Well get a few hours in, then head out again in the morning." Xere ordered, finally trying to settle in her sleeping bag.

"Yeah, we'll want as much of the sunlight as we can get." Yurika added, getting comfortable in her own sleeping bag as well.

The group seemed restless, and it was likely none of them would be getting a good night's sleep that evening as the storm continued raging outside with no end in sight. However, all nine of them had been adventuring together for a long time now, and had fought in multiple wars together. They knew one another's strengths and weaknesses, and knew that none of the group would let less than ideal sleeping conditions stop them from setting out at full speed once the morning finally came.


End file.
